Paintings
by TheRavenFlute
Summary: Rukia decides she wants to enter an art competition, and she's sure she will win. Ichigo... isn't. Oneshot.


**A/N Just a little oneshot that had to be written. It was either this or Maths, so...**

**Disclaimer : Everything belongs to the respective owners. I'm not making any money.**

'No, Rukia.'

'Why not?' Rukia turns to Ichigo with her eyes narrowed, clearly expecting a fight.

Ichigo mentally groaned. 'It's just… your drawing aren't that good, so- ' He was cut off by a notepad full of Chappy drawings thrown at his face. He winced as his nose throbbed, that girl had an unusually strong throwing arm. Time to change tactics.

'Rukia, this competition is for people who are really serious about art. Not doodlers like you who use rabbits to explain the Soul Society.'

'So you don't think I'm good enough?' The pale shinigami drew herself up to her full height ( which wasn't that tall), with her arms crossed menacingly.

'N-No' replied Ichigo cautiously, but she had seen his hesitation. Unfortunately, she had already thrown the sketchbook at him, so she had to settle for more primitive forms of violence.

'Ow! I said- Ow! Stop hitting me Rukia!'

The shouting started, and meaningless insults were exchanged that didn't have anything to do with the cause of the argument.

This exchange was heard by Yuzu and Karin, (along with most of the neighbours) who just carried on with their homework. This particular fight had been going on for a few days now, and they quickly learnt just to ignore it. The source of the conflict was a school art competition. Rukia had seen the poster and immediately decided she was going to enter. Orihime fully supported her, but Ichigo tried his hardest to persuade her from embarrassing herself. Her drawings were, in his opinion, worse than any 5 year olds. Plus, she was convinced she would win. Who would win a competition with Chappy drawings?

Therefore he had used almost every tactic available to try and dissuade her from competing. It hadn't worked, and the fact she wouldn't let him see the artwork she had started worried him even more. His mind started to visualise Chappy-filled paintings in the same scrawled style she always used becoming the laughing stock of the school.

It was time to use his last resort. Rukia may have already submitted the form, but she hadn't given in her painting yet. There was still time.

'Hey, Rukia.'

'What do you want?' She had been distinctly frosty since he had called her an 'artistically challenged midget'.

'Can I borrow your phone?'

This caught her attention, and she looked up from the magazine Orihime had lent her. 'Sure, but why?'

'I want to call your brother.'

She frowned at him.' I hope you're respectful to Nii-sama. What is it about?'

'Nothing much.'

She looked at him doubtingly, but tossed him the phone anyway. He stared at the object in his hand, outwardly it was unremarkable, there was nothing to give away the fact that it could call across dimensions. In fact, the only strange thing about it was the obnoxious Chappy phone charm dangling from the corner.

He flipped it over, and dialled the number. It picked up on the first ring.

'Hello, Rukia. I trust everything is alright?' Byakuya voice was unemotional and he could have been talking to a complete stranger.

' Actually, it's Ichigo.' He smirked as there was longer than necessary pause on the other side.

'Kurosaki. What are you doing with my sister's phone?'

'I needed to talk to you.' He stole a glance at Rukia who seemed to be engrossed in her magazine. He moved to the hallway just in case she was paying attention.

'Basically…' he started.

After Ichigo had explained what Rukia wanted to do and how this could potentially embarrass her (he exaggerated so Byakuya would think it was more important than it really was), there was a long silence on the other end.

'Um… Byakuya?'

'Pass the phone to my sister.'

Ichigo did as instructed, fighting a triumphant grin. Rukia would definitely withdraw if her brother told her to, she practically worshipped the ground he walked on. After a brief conversation with her brother, in which Rukia mainly seemed to be nodding and agreeing with him, she hung up.

She glared at Ichigo, who didn't have time to react before she gave him a resounding slap.

'What was that for?' he exclaimed, clutching his cheek.

* * *

' That was for trying to turn nii-sama against me. Nii-sama said that I should definitely enter the competition, and he was sure that I would win. He also said that a Kuchiki shouldn't let a lowly ryoka affect anything she did.' She gave him a condescending smirk, and walked out of the room.

The day that Ichigo was dreading had arrived. Rukia had given in her entry a few days prior, and he hadn't been allowed to see. Orihime had, and there had been a lot of squealing before she had been hastily shushed by Rukia.

They sat in the hall, which was filled with parents and contestants. Of course, there could be other people who had been forced to come along like him, too. His father was still at the clinic, as Ichigo refused to let him tag along. Karin and Yuzu could not be turned down however, and both girls were on the front row to support Rukia.

A teacher with unruly black hair whose name Ichigo could never remember stepped to the front, and cleared his throat imperiously in the microphone. The chatter slowly died down. 'Ladies and Gentlemen.' He gestured to the painting on the stage, which was perched on a stand and covered with a dusty sheet.

'We have our winner. Please give a round of applause to…' Ichigo spotted Rukia looking expectantly at the teacher. He felt a pang of pity, she would be so disappointed when she lost.

'Kuchiki Rukia!' Ichigo almost toppled out of his seat in shock. The nameless teacher had taken away the sheet to reveal the painting. And it was _good_. Rukia had painted a black and white landscape that seemed so real the canvas was like a window. The only colour in the entire piece was a silvery-blue river that ran through colourless mountains.

Rukia smiled patronisingly at him as she went up to collect her prize. She strutted over to him after the crowd congratulating her had cleared, with her prize money clutched in her hand.

'See, I did it.'

'Uh, yeah. You did. You didn't draw Chappy?' He asked weakly.

'No, Nii-sama suggested I didn't. He said I should try and vary my artwork. It worked!'

He mentally sighed at the triumphant grin on her face. She was _never_ going to let this go.

'So what are you going to spend the money on?'

'The new Supersize Chappy plushy! It's just come out and I didn't have enough money, and you wouldn't give me any.'

'You mean… That's the reason you entered?'

She nodded, rolling her eyes at his stupidity.'Obviously.'

**A/N Please read and review!**


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